Apparatus for indicating and recording the flow of fluids.



T. R. WEYMOUTH. APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND RECORDING THE FLOW 0PFLUIDS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1912.

1,085,184, v Patented Jan. 27, 1914 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES INVENTOR mmwk T. R. WEYMOUTH. APPARATUS EOR INDIGATING ANDRECORDING THE FLOW OF FLUIDS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1912.

1,085 ,1 84. Patented Jan. 27, 1914.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T. R. WEYMOUTH.

, 1912. 1,085,1 84, Patented Jan. 27, 1914.

r a snnmssnnm a.

THOMAS R. WEYMOU'IH, OF OIL CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR. INDICATING AND RECORDING THE FLOW OF FLUIDS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS R. \VEY- MOUTH, of Oil City, Venango county,Pennsylvania, have invented a new and use fulf Improvement in Apparatusfor Indicating.

and Recording the Flow of Fluids, of which the followin is a full,clear, and exact description, re erence being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is adiagram illustrating the manner in which an indicating and recordingapparatus is connected with the gas pipe in which the flow of gas is tobe measured; Fig. 2 is a view, also largely diagrammatic and showing theindicating and recordingv apparatus; Fig. 3 is a view on a larger scaleof a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detail viewof a portion of the apparatus; Fig. 5 is a diagram which illus tratesone of the principles embodied in the construction and operation of theapparatus; Fig. 6 is a view partly'in side elevation and partlydiagrammatic, showing a modification of a portion of the apparatus. Fig.7 is a sectional viewzillustrating the use of my invention in connectionwith the orifice method :of obtaining static and impact, or velocity,pressures. Fig, 8 is a front view of a portion of a recording instrumentwhich may be employed in connection with my invention.

My invention has relation to means for indicating and recording the flowof gas in a pipe or other conduit. The flow of gas through a pipe orother conduit may be determined by the formula in which C is acoefiicient determined eX- perimentally and dependent upon the diameterof the pipe, the specific gravity of the gas, its temperature, etc.; hthe impact or velocity pressure of the gas; and P the static pressure ofthe gas. It has been customary to determine the factor It. by means of aPitot tube. or by an orifice, to determine the factor P by means of asuitable pressure gage, and to then solve the equation by actualcalculations, tables being sometimes employed to assist in thesecalculations.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 6, 1912. Serial No. 689,007.

Patented Jan. 2'7, 1914.

My invention is designed to provide an apparatus, or meter, of simpleand efficient character, which will mechanically perform thecalculations necessary to the solution of the above equation, and whichmay be made to indicate either the value or the value of 0 /721 at anyand all times, or which may be made to register the actual volume of gasflowing through the pipe in a given time.

The nature of my invention will be best understood by reference 'to theaccompanying drawings, in which I have shown more or lessdiagrammatically one embodiment thereof, it being premised, however,that the invention is susceptible of various other embodiments withinthe spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Referring first to the diagram shown in Fig. 5, if the line a, b, c betaken to represent the center lineof a lever pivoted at Z); the distanceit to represent movement imparted to the said lever by and in proportionto the impact pressure of the flowing gas; and P the lever armproportional in length to the static pressure of the gas, it will beapparent that the distance it]? will indicate or be proportion-ate tothe product hP. Similarly, if the distance 71- represent the move-'m-ent caused by and in proportion to the impact pressure of the gas,and the distance P 35 the length of lever arm proportional to the staticpressure of the gas, then the distance hP will be equal to orproportional to the value 11/15. In the. embodiment of my invention Imake use of apparatus-operating in part upon the rinciple shown in thisdiagram, Fig. 5. his apparatus is shown as consisting of a slot-tedlever 2 having a fulcrum at 3, and pivoted to a block 3 which is capableof vertical movement in the guide 4. This guide 4 forms part of amovable carriage indicated as mounted on rollers Connected to one arm ofthe lever 2 is a multiple diaphragm differential pressure gage 6. Thisgage, together with the entire apparatus, is shownas being inclosed in abox or casing 7. This box or casing has a connection at 8 with the pipe9, in which the flow of gas is to be measured so that the interior ofthe box, and consequently, the exterior of the pressure gage 6,v will besubject to the static pressure of the gas flowing in pipe 9. Theinterior of the pressure gage 6 is connected by pipe 10 with a Pitottube 11, which extends into the pipe 9 in the usual manner of thesetubes. It will be apparent that the effective movement of the gage6,which is transmitted to the lever 2 by means of the rod or stemconnection 12, will be proportional to the difference between the totalpressure of the gas in the Pitot tube and the static pressuresurrounding the diaphragm, and will, therefore, be proportioned to theimpact or dynamic pressure of the gas. The degree of inclination of thelever 2 will, therefore, becontrolled by the degree of this impact ordynamic pressure. 13 is a diaphragm, forming a part of one of the endwalls of the box 7 and protected by a casing 14. This diaphragm has aconnection 16 with a lever 17, which is in turn connected to thecarriage 4 carrying the guide 4. The movement of the carriage is,therefore, controlled by and is proportioned to the static pressure ofthe gas. The stem 12 of the diaphragm 6 is connected to the lever 2 by asuitable universal joint, indicated at 12 so that its movement will bein a right line, said stem also having a guide at 12 The shiftable block3 of the lever 2 is vertically movable in the guide 4, and carries apulley 18. 19 is a flexible member, such as a chain, which is fixed at20 at one end, and which passes over guide pulley 21 on the guide 4, andis thence looped upwardly and over the pulley 18 and thence downwardlyand around a second guide pulley 22 on the carriage 4 and thence to asheave on a shaft 23. It will be apparent that so long as the. carriage4 is moved horizontally by the operation of the diaphragm 13, throughthe multiplying lever 17, with lever 2 in the horizontal or zeroposition shown in full lines in Fig. 2, and without any change in theinclination of the said lever 2, the length of the flexible member 19will not be changed, and there will be no movement of the shaft 23; butwhen said lever 2 is in an inclined position, due to the action of theimpact pressure, any change in either of the pressures will result in avertical movement of the pivot block 3 in the guide 4. Any verticalmovement of the pivot block and of the pulley 18, of course, tends toeffect a change in the length of the flexible member 19, and therebygives the shaft 23 an angular movement. This angular movement, as willbe readily seen from the foregoing explanation of Fig. 5, will beexactly proportional to the value ILP, in the equation given. Inasmuchas said equation requires a determination of the Value of the squareroot of hP, it is, of course, necessary to translate the -angularmovements of the shaft 23 into movements which shall be equal to thesquare roots of these angular movements. I effect this by means of a cam24 fastened to the shaft 28. The cam surface of this cam is formed by acurve, which is plotted from the values of the square roots of theangular movement of the shaft Thus, in plotting this curve, theabscissae may be laid out to indicate different values of such angular,or [LP movement-s, while the ordinates are laid out to representsuccessive values of the square roots of such movements. The curve soobtained can be readily converted into'the spiral curve illustrated inFigs. 2 and 3. The cam 24 with its actuating connection constitutes amotionreducing device or member for reducing the proportional movementsof the shiftable member 3 to a root value thereof. 25 is a spring, whichis attached to shaft 23 to constantly take up any slack in the flexiblemember 19. 26 is a lever, which is fulcrumed at 27, and which carries aroller 28 on one arm thereof for contact with the surface of the cam 24.A second arm of this lever forms a pointer adapted to traverse a scale29. This scale may be graduated so as to give different values of thesquare root of hP, or it may be graduated to include the coefficient Cof the particular Pitot tube or orifice to which the apparatus isconnected, and thus to indicate tt. rate of flow of gas in the pipe lineat any instant of time, 210- cording to the formula A pen may also beattached to the end of said pointer and made to traverse a chart drivenby suitable clock-work in the manner of the ordinary recording gage,thus giving a permanent record of the rate of flow and its variationsthroughout any period of time. A suitable and well known form ofrecording instrument for this purpose is illustrated in Fig. 8. In. thisfigure, the lever member 26 which carries the recording pen 26corresponds to the member 26 of Figs. 2 and 3.

In order that the apparatus may register the actual volume of gasflowing in a given time, it is necessary to multiply the valuesindicated on the scale 29 by the coefficient G and to provide meanswhereby the result in the desired form will be indicated by a suitabledial or register. To this end, I

employ the following mechanism: 30 dcsignates a clock, or clock-work,which is adapted to constantly operate, and which, through suitablegearing indicated at 30, is made to revolve a shaft 30 having fixedthereto a jointed pawl arm 31. Pivoted to this arm is a pawl 32, whichis designed to have a frictional driving engagement with the peflow ofgas is to be measured, and with the clock 30 constantly driving. theregister 36,

the greatest possible maximum flow of gas through the pipe would beindicated by the register. The action of the gearing in driving theregister must, therefore, be modified in. accordance with theinstantaneous values of the quantity rated peripheral segments orsections 37"" which are adapted tomove inside of the sections orsegments 37. The arrangement is such that when the wheel 32 is incontact with either a sect-ion 37 or a section 37*, its

pawl 32 will be held out of driving engagement with the friction disk,as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4; but when the said roller isopposite one of the spaces between the segments or sections, the pawlwill be in driving engagement with said disk. The disk 37 is connectedby a lever device 38 with an arm of the lever 26 before referred to. Itwill, therefore, be apparent that the member 37 b will be shiftedangularly in exact proportion to the angular movements of the arm of thelever 26, which carries the cam contact wheel or roller 28. Therefore,the length of, the opening between segments 37 and 37, and accordinglythe length of time during each rotation of the shaft 30 and of the pawlarm 31, in which the pawl 32 will be in contact with its friction disk,will depend upon the angular movement of the lever 26, and which is, asbefore stated, proportional to the quantity I So long as the pawl 32 isin engagement with its friction disk, the clock-work is driving theregister 36, but when the pawl 32 is out of driving engagementwith thedisk, the register is out of operation. The pawl. 32 and its disk,therefore, form in effect a clutch element in the driving gearingbetween the clock-work and the register, and this clutch element iscontrolled by the angular movement of the arm 26. It will, therefore, beapparent that the register 36 correctly indicates the total amount ofgas flowing in accordance with the above stated equation. That is tosay, if the register is read every twenty-four hours, the volume of gaswhich has passed through the pipe during the preceding twenty-four hourswill be indicated by the register.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a different mechanism for transmitting themovement of the cam actuated member 26 and for utilizing such movementto control the motor. In this figure, 40 designates the motor whichdrives a friction wheel or disk 41. 42 is a friction wheel having itsperiphery in contact with the surface of the disk 41, and which islongitudinally movable on a shaft or arbor 43. The wheel 42 has aclutchhub 44 which is engaged by a connection attached to the camoperated member 26. 45 indicates gears connecting the shaft 43 with theregister 46, these gears being arranged for a certain value of C. Thespeed of the shaft 43 will, of course, depend upon the distance of thewheel 42 from the center of the disk 41; and as this distance is controlled by the square root cam, the action of the register is modifiedto give the same result as in the form first described.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent, since it provides asimple and efiicient form of meter for the purpose described, and whichwill obviate the necessity for the frequent gage readings which haveheretofore been necessary, togethei with the large amount ofcalculations which have also been necessary, in order to make use of theresults of the readings.

It will be understood that instead of en ploying a Pitot tube forobtaining within the diaphragm the sum of the impact. and staticpressures, this may be obtained by the orifice method, or by any othermethod known in the art. shown the usual orifice pipe 9 8 and 10 beingthe "connections with said pipe at opposite sides of the orifice, andwhich correspond to the connections 8 and 10 of Fig. 1. It will also beapparent that the pressure gages, employed to obtain the movementscorresponding to the respective values k1 may be widely varied; that thearrangement and mounting of the shiftable lever actuated by these gagesmay also be changed, and that Thus in Fig. 7, I have various devices maybe employed for transeration will be the same if the impact pressure iscaused to vary the effective length of lever arm and the static pressureis made to control the angular movement of the lever, since the resultis dependent only upon the product of these two factors. There may bemechanical reasons, however, whereby in a particular embodiment of myinvention one or the other arrangement may be preferable. If some otherdevice, such as the well known orifice method, be employed to determinethe quantity h, such quantity will be more properly designated as thevelocity pressure instead of the impact pressure, and the term impactpressure as used herein is to be understood, Wherever necessary, asindicating both impact and velocity pressures.

While the invention has been more particularly described in connectionwith measuring the flow of gas, this term is'to be understood in itsbroad sense of including any fluid of a gaseous nature, Whether vapor ora true gas, since it is equally well adapted to measure the flow ofsteam. Certain features of the invention are also applicable tomeasuring the flow of liquids.

I claim '1. In apparatus of the characterdeseribed, the combination of amotive device actuated by the static pressure of the fluid, anothermotive device actuated by the impact or velocitypressure of such fluid,a lever having a shiftable member, connections operated by therespective motive devices to cause the movements of said shiftablemember to be proportional to the product of the two pressures, anothermember connected to and actuated by the shiftable member, said othermember being constructed and arranged to reduce said proportionalmovement to aroot value thereof, and an indicating device actuated bythe last named member, substantiallv as described.

2. In apparatus of the character described. the combination of a motivedevice actuated by the static pressure of the fluid, another motivedevice actuated by the impact or velocity pressure of such fluid, alever having a shiftable member, connections operated by the respectivemotive devices to cause the movements of said shiftable member to beproportional to the product of the two pressures, another memberconnected to and actuated by the shiftable member, said other memberbeing constructed and arranged to reduce said proportional movement to aroot value thereof. and a recording mechanism operated by the last namedmember and recording the actual volume of the flowing fluid,substantially as described. I

3. Apparatus for measuring the quantity of a flowing fluid, comprising alever having a shiftable member, pressure devices for determiningrespectively the static and impact, or velocity, pressures of the flowof fluid to be measured, an actuating connection between one of saidpressure devices and an arm of the lever member to vary the position ofsaid lever, an actuating connection operated by the other pressuredevice to vary the efiect-ive length of the other arm of the levermember, an indicating or registering apparatus and means fortransmitbeing measured and having movements respectively proportional tosaid pressures, a movable member, actuating connections between saidmember and the two pressure devices, said member having a combinedmovement derived from said connections and which is proportional totheproduct of the separate movements, together with a motion reducingdevice for reducing such movements to values equal to the square rootsthereof; substantially as described.

5. Apparatus for measuring the quantity of a flowing'fluid, comprisingpressure devices arranged to be acted upon respectively by the staticand the impact, or velocity, pressures of the fluidbeing measured, alever having a shiftable member, actuating connections operated by therespective pressure devices for effecting a compound movement of theshiftable member, an indicating or registering device, means fortransmitting said movement to the indicating or registering device, andmotion-reducing devices for reducing said movement to values equal tothe square roots thereof; substantially as described.

6. Apparatus for measuring the quantity of a flowing fluid, comprisingpressure devices arranged to be operated respectively by the static andthe impact, or velocity, pressures of the fluid being measured, a leverhaving a shiftable member, connections operated respectively by thepressure devices for shifting said member and whereby the movementsthereof are proportional to the product of the two pressures, means fortransmitting said movements, motion-reducing devices for reducing saidmovements to values equal to the square roots thereof, a register, aconstantly driven motor for driving the register, a clutch elementintermediate the motor and register and means for controlling the clutchelement by said lever member; substantially as described.

7. Apparatus for measuring the quantity of a flowing fluid, comprisingpressure devices operated respectively by the static and the impact, orvelocity,pressures of the fluid being measured, a lever having ashiftable member, actuating member's connected to the respectivepressure devices for shifting the said member and whereby the movementsthereof are proportional to the product of the two pressures, means fortransmitting said movements, motion-reducing devices for reducing saidmovements to values equal to the square roots thereof, together with aregister, a constantly driven motor for driving the register, a clutchelement in the connections between the motor and the register, and meansfor controlling the clutch element whereby the time during which theregister is driven by the motor is proportional to the square rootvalues indicated by the movement reducing devices; substantially asdescribed.

' 8. Apparatus for'measuring the quantity of a flowing fluid, comprisingpressure devices arranged to be actuated respectively by the static, andthe impact or velocity, pressures of the fluid being measured, a levermember, means connected with the pressure devices and with said leverand constructed and arranged to produce a compound movement of the leverproportional to the product of the said pressures, a motion reducingdevice for reducing the movements of said lever to values equal to thesquare roots thereof, and means whereby said lever controls the actionof a registering device together with a registering device controlled bysaid lever; substantially as-described.

9. In apparatus for measuring the quantity of a flowing, fluid,thecombination with pressure devices which are subject to the action ofthe static and impact, or velocity, pressures of the fluid beingmeasured, a movable member and a motion reducing mechanism for causingsaid devices to efl'ect the movement of the said member proportional tothe square root of the product of the two pressures, of a register, aconstantly driven motor for driving the register, and means controlledby said member for modifying the action of the register; substantiallyas described.

10. In apparatus for measuring the quantity of a flowing fluid, thecombination with mechanism actuated by the combined action of the staticand the impact, or velocity, pressures of the flowing fluid, of amotionreducing memberoperatively connected with the pressure devices toeffect a movement proportional to the square root of the prodnot of thetwo pressures, a register, and a constantly driven motor for driving theregister, gearing intermediate the motor and register including a clutchelement, and means controlled by said member for controlling the actionof the clutch element; substantially as described. 11. Apparatus formeasuring the quantity of a flowingfluid, comprislng pressure devicessubject to the action respectively of the static and of the impact, orvelocity, pressures of a flowing fluid,'a lever having a shiftablemember, actuating connections between the pressure devices and theshiftable member whereby the latter will be moved proportionally to theproduct of the two pressures, means for transmitting said movement,motion-reducing devices for reducing said movements to values equal tothe square roots thereof, together with a register, a constantly drivenmotor for driving the register, a variable speed device the connectionsbetween the motor and the register, and means for controlling saiddevice by the said lever member; substantially as described.

12. Apparatus for measuring the quantity of a flowing fluid, comprisingpressure devices respectively subject to and operated by the static andimpact, or velocity, pressures of the fluid being measured, a lever.having a shiftable member operatively connected with both pressuredevices whereby its movements are proportional to the prod uct of thetwo pressures, means for trans-- mitting said movements, motion-reducingdevices for reducing said movements to values equal to the square rootsthereof, together with a register, a constantly driven motor for drivingthe register, a variable speed device in the connections between themotor and the register, and means for controlling said device wherebythe time during which the register is driven by the motor by the staticand impact, or velocity, pressures of the fluid being 'measured, a leverhaving a shiftable member which is operatively connected with bothpressure devices to effect a movement proportional to the product of thetwo pressures, an indicating or registering device, means fortransmitting said movement to the indicating or registering device, andmotlon-reduclng devices for reducing said movement to values equalto aroot thereof; substantially as described.

14. In apparatus for measuring the quantity of a flowing fluid, thecombination of a lever member and pressure devices connected to saidlever member to cause the inclination of the latter with respect to itszero position to be proportional to the velocity pressure of the fluidto be measured, another movable member associated with the lever, asecond pressure device arranged to transmit motion to the last-namedmovable memher in a direction perpendicular to that of the firstpressure device, and subject to the will at all times be proportional totheprodthe pressures themselves; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

THOS. R. WEYMOUTH. Witnesses:

GEO. YARDLEY, C. W. GLEAsoN.

action of the static pressure of the fluid, the said pressure devicecausing the last-named movable member to assume an ultimate position theperpendicular distance of which from the zero position of the levermember not of the movements produced by the two pressures and thereforeto the product of

